Europe

By Rose Kelleher

What does an artificial beach in a semi derelict city docklands look like? Like a helluva party!

The ninth year of the “Bruxelles les Bains” summer beach party got underway today and will run until August 22.

About 600 m of sandy, emm, sidewalk just near Yser metro stop right along the canal is giving the hot sweaty Brussels crowd a chance to cool off and pretend they're somewhere much more exotic. The Brussels culture fairy has waved her magic wand and transformed this industrial-feeling quayside, and for the next 50 days it will be packed with brightly coloured deck chairs, girls in grass skirts, immense sandboxes filled with adults reading novels under the sun and rowdy overexcited youngsters. A large platform with streaming jets of cold water stands in the middle of the “beach” to allow body temperatures to cool down, and is proving particularly popular during the current heat-wave. Girls and boys, dressed inconspicuously in sexy summer beach bikinis and bermudas, sip Mojitos at the many cocktail bars that line the way.

Cafebabel Brussels debate Tuesday March 2 at 6.30pm

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Article written by Valya Ivanova Translated by Maïté Dague Brown

With « Lille 2004 », the town was designated as the « European capital of culture ». This year, the new cultural event is dedicated to Europe XXL. The perfect occasion for CaféBabel Bruxelles to go and see how our close neighbours from France celebrate Europe, and to glance at the program of the festivities. click here for the full photo report.

Brussels

by - Federico Poggi

Yesterday Le Monde published an interview with Mr. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Polish prime minister, in which he announced once again his preparation for a tough European Council on the future shape of EU institutions. Mr. Kaczynski said that Poland was ready to accept a compromise on the Council majority voting system but that it was not ready to accept the system drawn in the Constitutional treaty rejected last year by French and Dutch voters and already ratified by 18 member states. This option is supported particularly by the German Presidency and by the newly elected French President, Mr. Sarkozy.